born in chicago, cornelius worked as an insurance salesman before going into broadcasting. in 1970 he started the r and b music show soul train with $400 of his own money. dick clark's long-running american band stand may have been the inspiration but don cornelius always took his soul train down a track all its own. >> if american band stand goes right, we're going to go left. if dick clark goes up, we're going doing down. >> reporter: soul train showcased the talents of barry white, the jackson five, james brown, gladys knight and the pittsburgh penguins, aretha franklin and smoky robinson among others. all held together by cornelius's powerful presence and its unforgettable voice. >> i'm don cornelius. as always we wish you love, peace. >> reporter: he retired from soul train in 1993 and suffered from bad health and legal troubles in recent years. don cornelius was 75. coming up, father and daughter. cary grant's home movies. and then the favorite son. come for a smoke? yeah. no. you quit? i'm trying nicoderm cq. [ male announcer ] nicoderm cq, the patch with 24-hour sma